Local runner at marathon was half-mile from finish

ATSU professor Dr. D. Fred Peterson was closing on line when officials stopped him and others at Boston race

Jason Hunsicker/@JHunsicker_KDE

They knew something had happened, something serious, but had no inkling of the terror less than a mile from their positions.

Dr. D. Fred Peterson, professor and chair of the Department of Physiology at A.T. Still University, was about a half-mile from the finish line at the Boston Marathon on Monday, closing in on the completion of his 17th marathon run, when race officials brought him and others to a stop. The assumption amongst the runners was something had happened, perhaps a fellow runner collapsing closer to the finish line.

“Then we began to notice there were a couple helicopters flying overhead and some ambulances go by,” Peterson said.

With the aid of cell phones a few of the runners had with them, they began to learn what the nation was learning simultaneously. Moments earlier and just a few thousand feet ahead, two bombs were detonated near the finish line. As of this publication, three people have died and hundreds sustained serious injuries in an act of terrorism on American soil.

For Peterson and others, the immediate concern in the aftermath was for loved ones. Computer scanners along the course allow anyone, anywhere to track a runner’s progress, and Peterson knew his wife, Bonnie, along with their daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren would have been approaching the finish line, if not already there, when the bombs went off.

Borrowing a cell phone, Peterson made contact and learned his family was less than a block away when the first explosion ripped through the finish area.

After another hour, Peterson found his wife, a retired Kirksville R-III teacher, and family and they returned to their hotel. The rest of the night was anything but normal. Nearby hotels were evacuated, runners and visitors displaced, and nothing was open.

“They were very concerned about more possible bombs at that point in time,” Peterson said. “There was no place to eat. All the restaurants were shut down. They were afraid of having people congregate anywhere due to the possibility of other bombs.”

Peterson said his family was “very grateful” for their safety, while also feeling the weight of the attack.

“It really is a tragedy. The loss of life, an 8-year-old kid, his mother and sister both still in the hospital. There’s just a lot of sadness,” the 23-year ATSU faculty member said.

Peterson had run the Boston Marathon three times before and said the event is unlike any other across the nation. He described the excitement around the event - all 26.2 miles - as “immeasurable.”

“There are literally people lining the entire course, all 26.2 miles, sometimes three or four deep, almost continuous encouragements,” Peterson said.

And while some may question what will become of future Boston Marathons, Peterson said one thing is certain.

“I’m one of the ones not afraid to go back,” he said. “They’ll be prepared. They’ll be concerned, but they’ll be prepared.”